Whether it’s biting our nails, overindulging in chocolate, cracking our gum, or staying up late into the night, we all have bad habits that we wish we could kick. When it comes to skincare, though, bad habits can mean the difference between a healthy, glowing complexion and irritated, damaged skin. More often than not, we know that we should be treating our skin better but laziness gets in the way. The key to breaking these bad habits is making our skincare routine a little easier so we don’t have any excuses for not doing the right thing.
One the cardinal skincare sins – and one of the easiest bad habits to fall into – is going to bed with your makeup on. We all know how it happens – you come home after a long day and it takes a little too much effort to stand in front of the sink and wash your face. But sleeping with your makeup and a day’s worth of dirt and oil on your skin is a recipe for disaster. All that gunk clogs our pores so sebum, a natural moisturizer that helps protect our skin, is trapped inside, causing blackheads and whiteheads.
Beat this bad habit by keeping a package of Dermalogica Skin Purifying Wipes in your bedside table. These handy towelettes remove surface oils and impurities to quickly purify the skin after a long day – and they contain salicylic acid to clean your pores and fight breakouts. Simply wipe the towelette across your face before turning out the light and throw it away. In the morning, lather up a deep cleanser like Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel to remove any traces of dirt and makeup that might be left behind.
After sleeping in our makeup, the most common skincare sin is skipping a daily dose of broad-spectrum sunscreen. The sun’s UVA and UVB rays can do a number on the skin, causing wrinkles, brown spots and spider veins – not to mention skin cancer. But as serious as those issues are, we all know how easy it is to skip the sunscreen when you’re in a hurry in the morning and need to get out the door.
Make sure that you always have time for sunscreen by using a moisturizer with SPF built in. Dermalogica Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF30 is a great daily moisturizer for dry or aging skin and contains broad-spectrum SPF to keep your skin safe from UV rays. If you’ve got oily skin, Dermalogica Oil Free Matte SPF30 is a lightweight formula that helps regulate oil production while providing broad-spectrum SPF. And when you’re really pressed for time, Dermalogica Cover Tint SPF20 is a great product to have on hand because it offers coverage, moisture and sunscreen all in one product so you can save yourself a couple of steps in the morning.
Breaking bad skincare habits doesn’t have to be difficult. It just takes a little effort and the right products to keep your skin happy.